Prefab in Paradise: Built for Gale Force Winds & Forest Fires

By dornob

An out-of-the-way island home sounds like a slice of paradise, but consider the natural disasters you may have to contend with and you might think twice before building that dream retreat.

Or you might rise toe the challenge, and just make sure your dwelling is able to deal with everything from burning brush to the occasional hurricane … like this house-on-stilts designed by Woollen Studio and built by EcoSteel (via Inhabitat).

In lovely South Carolina, there are building codes in place to make sure no one gets a structure off the ground (literally on stilts or otherwise) without proofing it against severe storms (winds up to 140 miles per hour) and the period flood and fire that sweeps through the area.

The solution in this case involved recycled steel holding up a lofted living space, capped as well with steel roof panels and exterior walls. The finished prefab was flown in by helicopter for quick and non-intrusive installation (over on-site construction).?Complete with its own solar and wind power as well as composting toilets and rainwater catchment, this is probably about as apocalypse-proof, self-sufficient and off-the-grid as an island house could hope to be.